Stretcher fixture

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a stretcher fixture which fixes and holds a stretcher within a vehicle such as an ambulance.

(2) Description of the Prior Art

In the prior art, a stretcher fixture as disclosed in JP-Y 2-33773 is known well.

The stretcher fixture in the prior art comprises a main body pipe fixed substantially in horizontal state within a vehicle, a front side locking pawl fixed to a front part of the main body pipe for locking one leg pipe at front side or rear side of the stretcher, a positioning piece fixed to a rear part of the main body pipe for determining the locking position of other leg pipe at front side or rear side of the stretcher, an operation grip which is arranged at the rear side of the main body pipe and on which the forward operation force is exerted from the outside, a working rod the rear end of which is connected to the operation grip and which is arranged within the main body pipe so as to be moved forward and rearward, bias means arranged within the main body pipe for normally exerting the rearward bias force on the working rod, and a rear side locking pawl which is connected to the working rod and is moved forward and rearward according to the motion of the working rod and which pushes the other leg pipe against the positioning piece by the biasing force of the bias means while moved rearward so as to lock the other leg pipe.

According to the stretcher fixture in the prior art, however, a problem exists in that when the stretcher is fixed to the stretcher fixture or the stretcher is detached from the stretcher fixture, since the operation force must be continuously exerted on the operation grip, the burden of the worker is large.

Also since the operation force must be continuously exerted on the operation grip, the bias force of the bias means can not be set to so large value considering the burden of the worker. Therefore the force for the rear side locking pawl and the positioning piece to lock the other leg pipe is weak, and a problem exists in that the rear side locking pawl is vibrated in the longitudinal direction and abuts on the other leg pipe intermittently and a noise is produced due to the vibration of the vehicle or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a stretcher fixture where since operation force need not be continuously exerted on an operation grip in the configuration adopted here, release of burden of a worker can be intended and noise can be prevented by increasing the biasing force of the bias means.

A stretcher fixture of the present invention in order to solve the above-mentioned problems comprises:

a main body pipe fixed in substantially horizontal state within a vehicle;

a front side locking pawl fixed to a front part of the main body pipe for locking one leg pipe either at front side or at rear side of a stretcher;

a positioning piece fixed to a rear part of the main body pipe for determining the locking position of other leg pipe at front side or rear side of the stretcher;

an operation grip which is arranged at the rear end of the main body pipe, and on which the forward operation force is exerted from the outside;

a working rod the rear end of which is connected to the operation grip, and which is arranged within the main body pipe so as to be moved forward and rearward;

bias means which is arranged within the main body pipe for normally exerting the rearward bias force on the working rod; and

a rear side locking pawl which is connected to the working rod and is moved forward and rearward according to the motion of the working rod, and which pushes the other leg pipe against the positioning piece by the biasing force of the bias means while it is moved rearward so as to lock the other leg pipe,

characterized in that a stopper is provided between the positioning piece and the rear side locking pawl,

that when the forward operation force is exerted on the operation grip from the outside, the stopper is projected in the outside direction of the radius of the main body pipe so as to allow the rear side locking pawl to lock, and

that when the rear side locking pawl is in the lock state, if the stopper is pushed by the other leg pipe, it is retracted in the inside direction of the radius of the main body pipe and allows the rear side locking pawl to be moved rearward.

Wherein, the stopper comprises a rocking lever which is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the main body pipe and can be rocked in the horizontal direction with the positioning piece being the rocking center, and a compression spring which is arranged along the radius direction and normally exerts the biasing force in the outside direction of the main body pipe on the front part of the rocking lever,

that the front part of the rocking lever is provided with a top end part being narrow in the plan view, and with a stepped part projected from the rear end of the top end part in the outside direction of the radius of the main body pipe,

that when the operation grip is not operated, the front part of the rocking lever is advanced in a locking hole of the rear side locking pawl along the longitudinal direction of the main body pipe in the state that the advance of the rear side locking pawl is not inhibited,

that if the forward operation force is exerted on the operation grip from the outside, the stepped part of the rocking lever slips from the locking hole of the rear side locking pawl and is projected in the outside direction of the radius of the main body pipe by the biasing force of the compression spring, such that the top end part of the rocking lever is advanced in the locking hole of the rear side locking pawl,

that if the operation force exerted on the operation grip is released, the rear side locking pawl abuts on the stepped part of the rocking lever and is locked, and

that when the rear side locking pawl is in the lock state, if the rocking lever is pushed in the inside direction of the radius of the main body pipe by the other leg pipe, the front part of the rocking lever is retracted in the inside direction of the radius of the main body pipe by overcoming the biasing force of the compression spring and the stepped part can be advanced in the locking hole of the rear side locking pawl, and the rear side locking pawl is retracted by the biasing force of the bias means while accommodating the stepped part into the locking hole, and the other leg pipe is pushed against the positioning piece and is locked.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a plan view of a stretcher fixture according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2

is a lateral sectional view of a main part of the stretcher fixture when a rear side locking pawl is in the lock state; and

FIG. 3

is a lateral sectional view of a main part of the stretcher fixture when the lock state of the rear side locking pawl is released.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIGS.

1

˜

3

, a stretcher fixture

1

is provided with a main body pipe

2

being hollow. The main body pipe

2

is fixed in substantially horizontal state to a wall

3

or the like within a vehicle such as an ambulance by a metal fitting

4

or the like.

At the front side of the main body pipe

2

, a front side locking pawl

5

is fixed. The front side locking pawl

5

has a recess

5

a

opened at the rear side, a leg pipe

50

A either at the front side or at the rear side of the stretcher is accommodated and locked in the recess

5

a.

At the rear side of the main body pipe

2

, a positioning piece

6

is fixed. The positioning piece

6

fills the positioning function to determine the locking position of other leg pipe

50

B at the front side or the rear side of the stretcher.

An operation grip

7

is arranged at the rear end side of the main body pipe

2

. The forward operation force is exerted on the operation grip

7

from the outside.

The rear end of a working rod

8

is connected to the operation grip

7

. The working rod

8

is arranged within the main body pipe

2

in movable state forward and rearward.

The top end of the working rod

8

is fixed to a pushing bar

9

. The pushing bar

9

is arranged to be slidable in the longitudinal direction within the main body pipe

2

.

A spring bearing member

10

is arranged at the front side of the pushing bar

9

. The spring bearing member

10

is fixed to the main body pipe

2

.

A spring

11

is arranged in compressed state between the front surface of the pushing bar

9

and the rear surface of the spring bearing member

10

. The spring

11

is bias means to normally exert a rearward bias force on the working rod

8

through the pushing bar

9

.

As shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, a rear side locking pawl

13

is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the pushing bar

9

through a coupling member

12

. The coupling member

12

is inserted in a long hole

2

a

formed in the longitudinal direction on the main body pipe

2

, and can be moved in the longitudinal direction.

The rear side locking pawl

13

is moved forward and rearward according to the motion of the working rod

8

, and when it is moved rearward, other leg pipe

50

B is pushed against the positioning piece

6

by the biasing force of the spring

11

and is locked.

As shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, a stopper

14

is provided between the positioning piece

6

and the rear side locking pawl

13

.

If the forward operation force is exerted on the operation grip

7

from the outside, the stopper

14

is projected in the outside direction of the radius of the main body pipe

2

and allows the rear side locking pawl

13

to be locked. When the rear side locking pawl

13

is in the lock state, if the stopper

14

is pushed by the other leg pipe

50

B, the stopper

14

is retracted in the inside direction of the radius of the main body pipe

2

and allows the rear side locking pawl

13

to be retracted.

More specifically, the stopper

14

is provided with a rocking lever

15

, which is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the main body pipe

2

and can be rocked in the horizontal direction with the positioning piece

6

being the rocking center. Also a compression spring

16

is arranged along the radius direction of the main body pipe

2

and normally exerts the biasing force in the outside direction of the radius of the main body pipe

2

on the front part of the rocking lever

15

.

The front part of the rocking lever

15

, as shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

, is provided with a front end part

15

a

being narrow in the plan view, and with a stepped part

15

b

projected from the rear end of the top end part

15

a

in the outside direction of the radius of the main body pipe

2

.

Next, operation and action of the stretcher fixture

1

in the above-mentioned constitution will be described.

First, when the operation grip

7

is not operated, i.e. when the position of the rear side locking pawl

13

is shown by solid line in

FIG. 3

, the front part of the rocking lever

15

is advanced into the locking hole

13

a

of the rear side locking pawl

13

. The front part of the rocking lever

15

is provided along the longitudinal direction of the main body pipe

2

that the advance of the rear side locking pawl

13

is not inhibited.

Subsequently if the forward operation force is exerted on the operation grip

7

from the outside, in the state that the front end part

15

a

of the rocking lever

15

is advanced into the locking hole

13

a

of the rear side locking pawl

13

, the stepped part

15

b

of the rocking lever

15

slips from the locking hole

13

, and is projected in the outside direction of the radius of the main body pipe

2

by the biasing force of the compression spring

16

.

If the operation force exerted on the operation grip

7

is released, as shown in

FIG. 2

, the rear side locking pawl

13

abuts on the stepped part

15

b

of the rocking lever

15

and is locked.

Thus after the rear side locking pawl

13

is in the lock state, one leg pipe

50

A of the stretcher is accommodated in the recess

5

a

of the front side locking pawl

5

, and the other leg pipe

50

B is advanced in a space

17

formed by the positioning piece

6

and the rear side locking pawl

13

.

Attendant on the advance of the other leg pipe

50

B, if the other leg pipe

50

B pushes the rocking lever

15

in the inside direction of the radius of the main body pipe

2

, the front part of the rocking lever

15

is retracted in the inside direction of the radius of the main body pipe

2

overcoming the biasing force of the compression spring

16

and the stepped part

15

b

can be advanced into the locking hole

13

a

of the rear side locking pawl

13

, and while the stepped part

15

b

is accommodated in the locking hole

13

a

, the rear side locking pawl

13

is retracted by the biasing force of the spring

11

, and as shown by dash-and-dot line in

FIG. 3

, the other leg pipe

50

B is pushed against the positioning piece

6

and is locked.

On the other hand, when the stretcher is to be detached from the stretcher fixture

1

, the forward operation force is exerted on the operation grip

7

and the stepped part

15

b

of the rocking lever

15

is projected from the locking hole

13

a

of the rear side locking pawl

13

thereby the rear side locking pawl

13

is locked. In this state, the other leg pipe

50

B is detached from the space

17

and one leg pipe

50

A is detached from the recess

5

a of the front side locking pawl

5

.

As above described, according to the stretcher fixture in the embodiment, after the rear side locking pawl

13

is locked, the operation force need not be exerted continuously on the operation grip

7

. Consequently the work of fixing the stretcher to the stretcher fixture

1

and the work of detaching the stretcher from the stretcher fixture

1

are quite simplified.

Also since the operation force need not be exerted continuously on the operation grip

7

as above described, the biasing force of the spring

11

can be set to larger value than the biasing force of the spring of the stretcher fixture in the prior art. Due to the increase of the biasing force, the rear side locking pawl

13

and the positioning piece

6

can lock the other leg pipe

50

B more strongly, and the noise generated in the state that the rear side locking pawl

13

is vibrated in the longitudinal direction and touches the other leg pipe

50

B continuously due to vibration of a vehicle or the like can be prevented.